Thursday 10 June 2004 22.08 EDT
First published on Thursday 10 June 2004 22.08 EDT

An unprecedented survey of public attitudes towards organ donation has revealed an overwhelming rejection of the use of animal organs for human transplants.

The survey, funded by the Wellcome Trust, the world's largest medical research charity, found that the public had major reservations about "xenotransplants", which many in the scientific community believe could one day slash hospital waiting lists by providing replacement organs to order.

Those who took part in the survey were asked to appraise up to nine solutions to the specific problem of a shortage of kidneys for donation. Of the options, which included improving existing transplant services and encouraging healthier living, the most criticised was that of genetically modifying animals so that their organs could be implanted into humans without being rejected by their immune systems.

Research is being carried out into genetically modifying pigs so that their organs can be transplanted into humans, but lack of public support will be a significant setback. "This is a big blow for xenotransplantation," said Malcolm Eames of the Policy Studies Institute, who led the survey.

The use of GM animals to create "organ farms" was criticised. Many considered the idea to be unethical, although a more widely held concern was that viruses lurking in animal organs might infect humans and spread through the population.

So serious is that threat that the UK Xenotransplantation Interim Regulatory Authority, which advises the government, has stated that anyone who receives a transplant of an animal organ would have to agree to lifetime monitoring and never have unprotected sex.

Some of those taking part in the survey were so against the use of animals to provide organs that they wanted the option ruled out.

"The public have shown they have got common sense. This is entirely unacceptable from an animal welfare point of view," said Joyce da Silva of Compassion in World Farming.

The survey was commissioned in an attempt to improve public involvement in government decision-making on the contentious issue of organ donation. The government is under pressure to increase the number of donors.

Last year, 1,330 kidney transplants were carried out in the UK, but more than 5,000 people remain on the waiting list.

According to Bruce Corfield at UK Transplant, which collects data on organ transplants, carrying a donor card may not be enough because relatives have the final say over whether organs can be removed. Recent figures show that relatives overrule the wishes of donor card carriers in almost one in two cases.

The results of the survey are due to be submitted to the government today with the recommendation that it initiates a national discussion of the issues surrounding animal organ transplants before any clinical trials are approved.

"One of the lessons of the GM debate is that we need society to have these discussions early on. If we wait until companies have the go-ahead to do clinical trials, there will be a backlash because public trust will be undermined," said Dr Eames.

According to the survey, the public was far more in favour of encouraging people to carry donor cards and even introducing "presumed consent", in which hospitals would be able to use organs after a person's death unless they had specifically directed otherwise.